Open Your Eyes
by that girl who likes almonds
Summary: A collection of confused mortals meeting, interacting and being in the presence of an eccentric bunch, with strange quirks and habits no one has any logical reason for. Typical Mortals meet Demigods story, enjoy!
1. Susan Johnston

**Authors note: Okay, before you all start yelling at me, I'll admit, I am a lazy procrastinating spawn of the devil. And I suck at writing anything with a plot line. Its not like I have been busy with school work or whatever, actually the opposite, but I am just lazy. For my other story I won't be uploading as often because I honestly don't have anything figured out AT ALL. So I thought why not start another cliche story where each one takes me about five minutes to write? Because if I didn't upload anything I'd feel so guilty. I will be continuing my other story but just not as often as usual, so PLEASE PLEASE don't yell at me. Please?**

 **P.S: I will try not to make it the standard annoying-jock-hits-on-Annabeth-Percy-shows-up-and-beats-the-crap-out-of-him. I HATE those ones.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than my OCS. All rights go to their respectful owners.**

Susan Johnston Perspective.

I am a complete and utter idiot. And because of my stupidity it almost cost my son, Liam, his life.

You wouldn't think I'm an idiot. I'm respected at the company I own, Johnston Holdings Inc., and I always wear severe suits with my dark hair tied up in a bun.

One day, after I got home, I started making dinner like the typical mum. I slipped on my comfy pyjamas, set Liam down for his nap, and turned on the stove.

Okay, I'd had a terrible day at work and I was exhausted. Obviously I wasn't thinking clearly. I left the stove and collapsed on the couch and was out like a light.

The next thing I knew, smoke was filling my eyes, my ears, my nose. Our fire alarm was ringing so loudly it felt like it was going to burst my eardrums. Immediately I knew what happened. I'd left the goddamn stove on, and fell asleep! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw red-orange flames licking at the walls. My stomach dropping to my feet, I ran out the house and fell onto the sidewalk, choking. Then a guttural cry let loose from the top floor.

"Oh my god, Liam! I left him in there!" I shouted hysterically. The entire house was almost engulfed in flames.

I couldn't go in and rescue him myself, and I didn't have a phone. I spotted three teenagers on the other side of the street, a tall blond boy, a dark-skinned pretty girl, and a scrawny boy with curly hair and a tool belt. Surely they'd have cell phones? Wasn't a cell every teenagers lifeline?

I struggled to my feet and ran towards them. "Please, call the fire brigade! Please, help! My son is still in there!" I shrieked.

Before I could even process anything, the scrawny haired one sprinted off into the burning house!

"What are you _doing?_!" I shouted after him. He took no notice and dived straight in. Shaking, I turned back to the other two. "Is he crazy? Please, do either of you have a cell? Help!"

The girl placed her hands on my shoulders. "Calm down, it'll be alright. Leo will get your son out safely."

Her voice had a certain reassurance. I almost believed that everything _would_ be alight, just for a second. Then Liam screamed again and I was jolted back to reality. I gripped the girls arm and began to sob. "Your friend...my son...I can't lose him now..."

The girl patted my back. The blond boy shook his head and looked at me. "Leo will be fine. Trust us."

We stood there for another ten seconds. The tension was unbearable. Then suddenly, their curly haired friend burst out, shirtless. His shirt was wrapped around my little boy. He was shaking and crying but unharmed. I flew forward and suffocated him in a bone-crushing hug. He hugged me back. I pulled away, tears streaming down my face, and looked at Curly - Leo, his friends called him.

"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" I cried. "Are you burnt anywhere? You must be, to charge into the fire without any fire equipment!"

Leo grinned. "Don't worry, my shirt was fireproof. I put it around your son to keep him from getting burnt." He puffed out his chest proudly. "Super Leo McShizzle, thats what they call me."

"But what about you?"

He shrugged. "I figured the little kid needed it more than me. Besides, I can't get burned, anyway."

He suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes widened. I turned and saw his friends glaring at him. The girl grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Repair Boy, we'd better go." She said. She glanced at me and Liam. "Your kid can keep the shirt. I think the fire brigade will be here soon."

Sure enough, I heard sirens blaring in the distance. One of the neighbours must of alerted them. Without saying a word, the three hurried away. I heard Leo complaining in the distance.

"Come on, Piper, I was a hero! Couldn't I just gloat a _little_ bit?"

"Leo, you almost blew it!" The blond scolded. They turned the corner, Leo still shirtless and the other two mad at him. I wrapped Liam tighter in the shirt that Leo boy had given him.

Sure enough, years and years later, after Liam had grown up, I still have that shirt to remind me of one person's selflessness, that had saved my only child. And other times I'd light it on fire to see if it really was fireproof. Sure enough, it was.

 **Authors note: What do you think? Really short, I know, but I like writing these one-shots. Its fun! XD.**


	2. Richard Ford

**Authors note: So I'm basically going on a writers spree right now, writing one-shot after one-shot. These are fun to write! Enjoy! :D**

Richard Ford Perspective.

I was already having a bad day. Customers could be so _stupid_ sometimes! Or they'd let their kids run around and the children would tear the petals off the flowers or pull up their roots, then leave dirt all over the floor for someone to clean up, I.E me.

Maybe I should introduce myself. My name is Richard Ford, and I work at a gardening shop. Milly's Best Plants Emporium, that is. We're located in New York.

At first, I scoffed at the idea of a gardening shop in New York. I mean, who even _has_ a garden, in a city where everyone lives in apartments? But now I work here, part time, for minimum wage. Sucks, doesn't it?

Anyway, after a ditzy girl who thought she could grow an entire oak tree in a mug on her windowsill and a man who complained that our gardening tools weren't shiny enough, a teenage girl wandered in. She had long black hair and brown eyes **(idk know what she looks like but it says this on the wiki so meh)** and an orange T-shirt and jeans. She marched straight in, and immediately walked up and down out plants section, checking out each individual plant with care. She lifted each plant and inspected each leaf. I half expected her to accidentally rip the plant, but she was surprisingly gentle.

I sold another set of tools to a man in a plaid shirt, and watched the girl from the counter. She inspected a tiny, weak flower plant, which I think was called a hibiscus, and screwed her face up; a mixture of pity and disgust. She marched up to my counter.

"Hello, and welcome to Milly's Best Pl-" I started my friendly introduction, but she cut me off rudely.

"Yes, yes, hi and all that, but did you know that your hibiscus plants are dying? They need more sunlight and water!"

"All the plants get enough water and sunlight in here."

"No, but hibiscus's need more sunlight! They'll die, don't you understand?" The girl started going off on another long prattle about the hibiscus needs and growth rates and other stuff I didn't really care about. And finally, I snapped.

I'd already had a bad day, and this girl just made it worse.

"Just shut up already, will you? If you care about the hibiscus plant so much, the just buy it and GET OUT OF HERE." I snapped angrily. The girl looked stunned for a second, and then she glared at me menacingly. She then stormed off down the isle to the hibiscus's.

Probably going to buy it now, I thought to myself. But she did something unexpected. She pointed and shrieked, "Oh my gods, what is _that_?"

I whirled around to come face to face with the dusty window from behind the counter. It just led to the brick wall, graffitied with swear words. I turned back.

"Um, no-"

I was stunned at what she was doing. She held her hand over the plant, as if shielding it from something, and the plant began to _grow._ The weak stem began to glow with colour, and stood up straight. Hibiscus flowers bloomed from the leaves. After it had finished growing, she dropped her hand. I heard her whisper, "Miranda would like this plant," and then she glanced my way and saw me looking.

"Did...did you just make the flower grow?" I asked in bewilderment. The girl widened her eyes and shook her head fiercely.

"Of course not! Trick of light. It happens all the time. Now, I would like to buy this plant please!"

With my movements slow and jerky, I checked out the plant for her. The girl dropped ten gold pieces on the counter. "Keep the change." She called out, then exited. I heard her quietly talking to herself. "Stupid! Stupid, Katie, stupid! You shouldn't of used chlorokinesis in a mortal shop!" Then her footsteps disappeared with the sound of thousand other New Yorkers.

I looked at the coins she had given me. They were bigger than the average coin, bright gold, and had words engraved in them in a different language...Greek, maybe? I stared at the door long after she had left, trying to wrap my head around what I just saw.


	3. Alison Bridge

**Authors note: Third one-shot in a row, when I'm actually supposed to be doing my homework. Oh well.**

 **P.S: This one is a bit dark, I suppose, but I like it.**

Alison Bridge Perspective.

The rain started to pour, heavy, making the sky dark, but I didn't care. I knelt at my sisters grave and wept, wept more, more than the rain itself. It was so, so unfair, to have my baby sister's life be taken away right before my eyes.

 _-Flashback_

 _"Hey! Lisa! Over here!"_

 _I called out to Lisa from across the road. She was grinning, her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, her brown eyes sparkling. "Alison! Big sis! Guess what, you'll never believe what happened!" She held up her finger. On it was a shiny gold ring, glinting in the sunlight._

 _"He proposed, Al! He actually proposed!" She squealed. I jumped up and down on the sidewalk, ignoring all the strange looks. We'd both been waiting and waiting for when her boyfriend would propose. Lisa scanned the road quickly and walked across, grinning from ear to ear._

 _She was so excited it was cruel to what happened next._

 _A massive cement truck speed down the road, quick, surely over the speeding limit. It barrelled down the road so quickly poor Lisa couldn't react or dive out of the way. The truck hit her with full force. Her handbag flew off her arm and landed at my feet. Shocked, I grabbed it and ran over to Lisa's crumpled and lifeless form. The truck had stopped. I held Lisa and cried. And cried and cried and cried._

 _-Flashback over_

It wasn't _fair._ The day she was engaged to marry the man she loved...the day she got local schools to fundraise for her cancer help charity...and it was all taken away by a careless person in the front seat of a truck.

The funeral was today. Her husband-to-be was there, all her closest friends and family, and of course, me. Years back, when we were only ten, we'd made this silly promise. If one died first, then the other one would have to give the eulogy. I kept that promise.

I don't know how long I staying in the graveyard, sobbing. The rain didn't stop. I was only aware of the dirt under my knees; and under that, Lisa's coffin.

I jumped when someone placed their hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I leapt to my feet, whirling around, startled. A young, fourteen year old boy stood in front of me, his hair soaked and his clothes dripping. He has dark eyes and silky dark hair and pale skin. I don't know how he got here. The graveyard is miles away from the nearest city.

He looks at me. "You've lost someone close to you. I can sense it. Freak accident."

I stared at him. "How do you..." I broke down. "My sister. My little sister."

The boy patted me on the back sympathetically. "I know how it feels. I lost my big sister in a...freak accident. But its okay. I got through it," He paused. "And so will you."

"How will I get over it? She was my whole world...the only family I had left."

"Bianca was the only family I had. Well, I had other family, but it was...complicated. It turned out I had lots of half-brothers and half-sisters. Bianca was my only flesh-and-blood sister." He gestured to the graveyard. "She didn't have a proper funeral, seeing as the situation was...complicated, but I set up a memorial here."

For some reason, the kid's words made me feel a tiny bit better. It reminded me that other people had gone through what I was going through. And he was only - what, fourteen?

"If you don't mind me asking," I said delicately, "How old were you, when your sister died?"

He was silent. "Ten."

Now I felt worse. I'm twenty-six, and this guy was _ten_ when his sister died.

"I would say I'm sorry, but I know it doesn't help." I said quietly. He sighed.

"Not many people say sorry. They're too scared of me to even approach me. Besides, what happened to Bianca is considered...normal, in my world."

If I hadn't been so grief-stricken, I would of been so confused as to why he talked like he wasn't normal. Like he wasn't...human.

"Whats your name, anyway?" I asked.

"Nico."

"I'm Alison."

Nico looked at me sadly, rainwater dripping down his face. We were both soaked. I wouldn't be surprised if we both caught colds by tomorrow. A thought of Lisa swept through my mind. How she'd never get a cold and I always did and I pulled a tantrum and said it was unfair.

Thinking about Lisa made me cry. I sat down on the ground and buried my face in my arms.

"I'm just so _scared_ ," I said. "I don't know what's going to happen to Lisa. If theres a heaven, then Lisa deserves to go. What do the dead _do_?"

Nico sat down beside me, silent. After a while, he asked, "Was your sister a good person?"

"Excuse me?" I said, baffled. I had no idea what this kid was going on about. Maybe it was a good way to let out my feelings. Perhaps he was a therapist's child or something. I sighed. "Yes. She was one of the best, brightest people you will ever meet. Smart; smarter than me, anyway. She founded a charity to help cancer. She excelled in all subjects. She never backed away from anyone who needed her." Tears dripped my face, mingling with the rainwater. "Oh yeah, and she got engaged the day she was killed."

Nico exhaled. "Then it's proven."

"What?"

"The worst things happen to the best people. One of my friends mum's parents died in a airplane crash, and his mum is the nicest person I ever met." Nico said bitterly. "I blame my uncle for the plane crash thing."

I didn't ask. Instead I said, "Why did you want to know about Lisa?"

"I just needed some proof. I could probably tweak a few strings. You know, get her into what's considered 'heaven.'" The corners of his mouth tugged into a smile. "I know everyone will tell you this, Alison, but if you do good things in your life, it will help you later on. And don't be scared of death. Embrace it."

And he seemed to disappear into the shadows.

I sighed. And then I texted someone to come pick me up and take me home. The strange kid in the graveyard really did help. And I kept his message throughout my whole life.

 **Authors note: As crazy as it sounds, I was laughing so much while writing this. See, my friend is reading House Of Hades, and halfway through finishing it, she got up to the part where you find out Nico was gay. So, she immediately grabbed her iPad and starting messaging me. I laughed so much. She was like Stop. No. Omg. Are. You. Serious. I. Am. Going. To. Punch. Someone. So then we had a massive argument/fangirling session. _Totally_ normal! **

**I am a normal human with feelings, just in case you were wondering.**


	4. Linda Jones

Linda Jones Perspective

"Mum! Mum, there are no waves! You said there would be big waves for us to play in!"

I groaned. Maybe I should introduce myself. My name is Linda Jones, and I'm from London. I brought my children, Alexis and Brandon, to New York for a business trip. Since the sun was shining, I'd offered to take them to the beach. And since twenty-first century children just want to lock themselves up in their rooms with IPads, I said there would be big waves for them to play in. And, of course, Montauk had to bloody screw me over and have a completely, waveless day.

Aside from the waveless ocean, the day was pretty nice. The sun shone brightly, the sand wasn't pebbly like Brighton, and it wasn't crowded. Only me and Alexis and Brandon, and a fisherman.

"Mummy, Mummy, I want waves! I want to play in the ocean but the ocean is boring!" Alexis complained, her wet-suit plastered with sand. Sighing, I pointed to a clump of wet sand.

"You can build a sandcastle." I suggested.

"Sandcastles are _boring_!"

"No, no, sandcastles are fun, see?" I made my voice sound upbeat. Alexis pouted as Brandon tugged at her sleeve.

"Yes, yes, sandcastles are fun! I wanna build a pirate ship!" He yelled.

Before I could explain that pirate ships weren't really a sandcastle, he had tugged his sister away, rambling at the prospect of sand-pirate ships. Sighing, I stood next to the fisherman. I needed someone to talk too, other than hyperactive children.

"Have you caught anything yet?" I asked. The fisherman grinned.

He had sea-green eyes and a neatly trimmed black beard. His hands were scarred. He wore a loud Hawaiian shirt and a hat that said 'NEPTUNE'S LUCKY FISHING HAT.'

"No. Not yet."

"That must be hard. Do you have to feed your family?"

He looked amused for a moment.

"No, no. I don't eat my subjects. And if I had to feed my entire family, well, that would be difficult."

I smiled. "I know. I've got seven brothers and two sisters."

The fisherman cracked a grin. "Quite a big family, though mine is _very_ complicated."

Alexis screamed. "Look! Mummy, the big mean ocean has destroyed our sandcastle!"

I sighed. "I'm sorry if their disrupting your fishing. See, I told them that there would be waves today for them to play in so I could get them to play outside." I explained. The fisherman's eyes sparkled.

"Did you now? Reminds me of my son; though he could just make is own waves."

"Huh? I tried suggesting for them to splash around but they said it was boring."

The man tutted. "Twenty-first century children can be hard to please," He said. "But sometimes, easily impressed." He flicked his hand casually.

Suddenly, Alexis and Brandon squealed. "Look, Mummy, a wave!"

Sure enough, a small wave crashed against the shore. Alexis and Brandon dived in. Another one splashed around their ankles. I watched them, smiling, as the waves got slightly bigger each time. Soon it crashed around their waists, then chests.

"My Lord, those waves are getting higher." I said. "Alexis! Brandon! Out of the water now!" I called. I ran in, the water swirling around my ankles, and grabbed Alexis's wrist, yanking her out onto the sand. Brandon laughed, thinking it was a joke, and dived further in, submerging himself completely.

"Oh, no. Brandon!" I shrieked. I scrambled in the water, searching for him. I heard the fisherman sigh. I turned back to him, furious about how he wasn't helping, when he flicked his hand. The water beneath my feet churned like a miniature whirlpool. Scared, I dashed back onto the sand as the ocean spat Brandon back out, dazed and soaked. I hugged him fiercely, and turned back to the fisherman.

"Uh, thanks," I said. "You know, you remind me of the Poseidon chap; you know, the one from Egyptian mythology? Or was it Greek?"

He laughed. "Greek, I think. Well, better go; my family is waiting." And then he just walked into the water, deeper and deeper until he wasn't seen anymore.

Alexis stared after him. "He's not normal, right, Mummy?"

I shook my head, mystified. "I don't think so, Alexis."


	5. Paula McGreen

**Authors note: If your confused about the demigods in my story, I'll lay it out.**

 **Chapter one: Jason, Leo and Piper (kinda obvious)**

 **Chapter two: Katie Gardener (she likes being bossy lol sorry if it wasn't obvious)**

 **Chapter three: Nico (obviously, since I said his name)**

 **Chapter four: Poseidon (I did say that gods were included! TROLOLOLOLOL)**

 **On with the story!**

Paula McGreen Perspective **(okay, I wasn't feeling very inspired for names)**

"She should be here by now!"

I paced up and down our apartment, fuming. I was a newly-wed, and me and my husband, Robert McGreen, had bought a plot of land to build our new house. Problem was, we didn't know any good architects. So my friend, Sally, found one for us.

"Trust me, she's really good at designing buildings." Sally had told me. She told me that she'd come by after she finished all her other architect jobs. But she _still_ wasn't here. And she was twenty minutes late. And I am _not_ a patient person.

"Paula, calm down. I'm sure she'll be here in a minute." Robert assured me. I sighed.

"She better be as good as Sally says she is." I said, running a hand through my hair. Robert put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

"Do you want some tea?" He asked. I gave him a small smile.

"One sugar, no milk and please serve it in the polka-dot mug."

Robert chuckled. It was an inside joke, when he first made me a cup of tea and I exploded because he didn't make it right. He kissed my cheek and walked towards the kitchen.

I collapsed on the couch as a sharp knock came from the other side of the door. Finally! The architect must be here by now.

I yanked open the door. "Finally! You took..." My voice trailed off.

A teenage girl stood there, holding a knapsack which looked heavy. Her orange T-shirt was torn in a few places. She was sprinkled in gold dust, though it was hard to see in her blond, curly hair. She stared at me with startlingly grey eyes. Finally, I spoke first.

"Um, I think you have the wrong apartment. I'm waiting for someone." I said. The girl raised an eyebrow and glanced at a piece of paper.

"I'm looking for Paula McGreen. Is that you?" She asked.

"Yes, but I was expecting an architect-"

"And I'm here. Sally sent me." She held out her hand. "I'm Annabeth."

Suspiciously, I shook it. "Look, I don't know what prank Sally is pulling on me, but I was expecting an architect, not a teenage girl."

"Sally wouldn't play a prank."

"Yes, but she said you were experienced! And that you were designing buildings for a city!"

"Its true. I was late because I was helping organise the building up on Mount Ol-uh, the building firm I work for."

"Well, I won't have a teenager designing my house!"

"Look, lady, its me, which I am doing out of my free time and not charging, or a lousy expensive person who would take ages. Your choice."

I narrowed my eyes. "Fine. I'll give you a chance."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like _I'm_ the one who's getting it lucky."

I scowled after as I led her in. Cheeky! And rude and disrespectful! And I hardly think she's good at architecture. Probably just big-headed.

Annabeth shouldered her knapsack. "So how big is your plot of land?" She asked.

I told her all the information she needed, like the address and the size of the land and what I wanted it to look like. She spread out papers on our dining table, a pencil tucked behind one ear. Robert came back in with our mugs, and raised an eyebrow at Annabeth. I mouthed, _'the architect.'_ He nodded and handed me my mug. Annabeth was drawing out designs, making the lines straight and even without having to use a ruler. Since the room was so silent, I decided to engage in conversation.

"So, how do you know Sally?" I asked her.

"She's my boyfriends mum." Annabeth answered, not even looking up. I blinked. I knew Sally had a son; heck, I'd even met him a few times, but although he was quite handsome, he wasn't the brightest fish in the sea, if you catch my drift.

"Wait, Percy's girlfriend?"

"Yes. Unless Sally has any other sons." Annabeth said. Her eyebrows creased in frustration. "Okay, so is this what you wanted?"

She showed me her drawing. I have to admit, I was impressed. It was almost exactly how I envisioned it to be. I gave her a thumbs up and she smirked.

"See, just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm inexperienced. Trust me, being an architect at a young age is the least unusual thing about me."

I had no idea what she meant. I exchanged confused looks with Robert as she kept drawing.

 **-X-**

 _Months later_

I gazed at my new house. It was tall and intimidating. It looked beautiful and regal, like a queen's house, or palace. That Annabeth girl had done an amazing job with designing it. It was everything I wanted.

Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living rooms and an amazing kitchen. The house bustled with life. Robert and I threw a housewarming party, and I stepped outside for some air. I was always a bit claustrophobic.

"Like the new house?" Someone said next to me. Yelping, I stepped back.

Annabeth stood next to me, holding a plant pot. The plant itself was silvery.

"Here," She handed me the plant. "A housewarming gift."

"Thank you."

"Its called moonlace. Sally has one planted in her garden. It only grows during night."

Sure enough, the plant looked straighter and brighter in the moonlight.

Annabeth grinned at me. "You're welcome. Though designing it was more of a side project. What with saving the world and all that."

"What?"

"Nothing." She shook my hand. "Good luck with your new life."

 **Is Annabeth a bit to OOC?**


	6. Jamie Moore

**Authors note: Blah blah, something about procrastinating again. Enjoy!**

 **P.S: THANK YOU FOR THE NICE REVIEWS. Even if I don't get any reviews for a chapter or something, I'll still continue. Because I'm actually writing this for myself, because my head is overflowing with so many ideas. I'm selfish. Theres no way I'd be** **Abnegation. Also, I hate wearing grey. Some people say I'd be Amity, which I don't understand AT ALL. (I'll stop rambling.)**

 **P.P.S: Thank you so much Cynder2013 for the names, because I SUCK at coming up with names. Like, I've got a seriously common name, so I'm not very experienced with names. (Does that make sense? Meh)**

 **Jamie Moores Perspective**

"Jamie! No! These aren't the right strawberries!"

I huffed, crossing my arms. My bratty four-year old brother, Michael, was just standing in the isle in our supermarket, complaining about his favourite brand of strawberries! I mean, come on, just pick any brand!

Why did I have to get stuck with shopping duty? And have to babysit at the same time? Honestly, my life is so complicated and unfair!

"Michael, here, just stick with these." I said, trying to stay calm. I shoved him a box of _'Farmer Joes Famous Strawberries.'_

"No, no no! Not these! _Delphi Strawberry Service_! Those are the best!" Michael whined, pouting. He shoved the other box away, making it fall. The box exploded and strawberries flew everywhere, almost staining my new shoes with strawberry juice.

"Michael!" I hissed. "Come on!" I hustled him away so we wouldn't have to pay for it, grabbing our cart and shuffling off. Michael wouldn't shut up, for Gods sake!

"DELPHI STRAWBERRY SERVICE!" He yelled, thrashing and kicking. Seriously, how did our parents raise this kid? Others were starting to stare.

Michael!" I grabbed his bony wrists. "Fine! I'll find your wretched strawberries! Just be quiet!"

Michael gave me a big smile. "Yay! Thanks sis!" He threw his arms around my waist and hugged me.

"Yeah, well," I grumbled. "Stay put. Don't move. Don't _break_ anything! Got that?"

He nodded, his curly head bobbing up and down. I sighed, then moved our cart to a corner, so it wasn't in the way of anyone. Then I put Michael next to it, telling him to press his back to the wall. Then I went off to look for his bloody stupid strawberries.

I searched up and down the 'strawberry' section. But was there any sign of Delphi Strawberry Service? NO!

I whipped out my shopping list.

 _Jamie's Shopping List (follow exactly)_

 _Milk_

 _Bread_

 _Frozen Peas_

 _Strawberries (Michaels favourite kind)_

 _Coke_

(I added in the coke, but no one needed to know)

I crumpled up the stupid note and shoved it in my pocket. Where the heck do you get Delphi Strawberries? Is that even a real brand?

I was about to go stomping back to Michael when I heard talking from the _'Staff only'_ place. So, being a rebellious teenager, I decided to go in. It led to a garage opening. A large white truck stood there. I heard more voices. Quickly, I ducked behind a stack of Cherrio boxes.

"Why do we have to help unload the strawberries?" A boys voice complained. "I thought the harpies did this!"

Harpies?

"Leo, just be quiet and work! We're almost done."

A curly haired boy struggled under crates. Near him, more people did as well. It was hard to make out any proper features, but I saw messy black hair there, startlingly grey eyes here, orange T-shirts everywhere. They were all teenagers, like me, and there were around seven of them.

"Besides, Repair Boy, this is how we make money for camp." A girl, who looked Cherokee, said.

"But why strawberries? I mean, come on! Surely we could do more than sell _strawberries!_ "

"Leo, why don't you just create some magical invention to move all these boxes for us?" The blonde girl snapped. Curly's eyes widened.

"Um, nope! Pipes said we were almost done anyway!"

The others laughed. They stacked boxes after another, until there was a giant tower. The blonde arranged it so it looked like a temple of some sort.

"Come on, Annabeth! Chiron's expecting us back at camp." A small, curly girl said. The blonde scrunched up her face.

"Just a second."

The whole group groaned. The boy with black hair grabbed the blonde's arms and hauled her back to the truck. I didn't hear much after that except lots of scuffling and complaining.

The truck pulled out. As it turned, I got a better view. On the side were big letters that said 'Delphi's Strawberry Service.'

Huh. So it _was_ a real thing.

I darted forward and grabbed a box. As I turned around, I got the shock of my life.

A man stood behind me. He had curly salt-and-pepper hair, blue eyes and a michevious smile. He wore clothes that postmen wore. Maybe he was part of the group that just left? Or maybe he was a security guard!

"Sir, I wasn't going to steal it! I was going to pay for it, really!" I pleaded. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Steal? Thats a shame. I'm the patron of thieves, see." He said.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

I fidgeted awkwardly. "How did you get behind me so quietly?" I asked.

"Oh, it was nothing. Mortal senses are so dull, its quite easy."

"Mortal senses?"

He waved his hand. "Oh, you better get going. Someones going to catch you soon, and I think your brother is causing trouble."

"My br- Oh, god!" My eyes widened. I dodged around him, the strawberry box pressed against my chest, and sped out. I could sense the guy staring at me.

Michael was pushing our trolley back and forth, banging into other people, shouting "STRAWBERRIES! DELPHI STRAWBERRIES!"

"MICHAEL!" I shrieked. "I have your strawberries!"

"YAY!" He yelled. He abandoned the trolleys and yanked the box away, tore it open, and within a second his face was painted red with strawberry juice. He grinned at me. "Thanks, sis!"

After that day, I never went back to the supermarket. Partly because those people (the ones who unloaded the truck and the postman guy) gave me weird vibes, and partly because the supermarket banned me and Michael from going ever again.


	7. Rob Greyson

**Authors note: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR REVIEWS THEY ARE SO SO SO SWEET. Sorry for being so slow! I'm not even busy with my tween life, just lazy.**

Rob Greyson Perspective

I inspected the jewellery cases, looking at every single ring closely. See, I was planning on proposing to my girlfriend, Eliza, and I had to find exactly the right ring. Her best friend had told me that when they would fantasise about being proposed to, she'd want a silver ring with an amethyst on it, her birth stone.

She was sappy that way, but it was one of the many reasons I loved her.

"Oh, sir, this one is perfect!" said the perky sales assistant. She wore a purple suit and her light hair tumbled over her shoulders. Her smile was unnaturally large. She held up a bright, flashy ring, heavy with diamonds. I shook my head. Eliza would hate something like that.

The saleslady's smile seemed a bit strained now. "Sir, you should DEFIANTLY get that ring. I mean, it's what every lady wants these days!"

"Yes, but not what _my_ lady wants!" I argued, sighing. I've been here for ages, and I _still_ haven't found the right one! And this is supposed to be the best branch in the city!

"Good call." A voice said besides me, quiet. Turning around, I see a young girl - thirteen, maybe fourteen at the most. She has dark skin and darker, curly hair; but her eyes are bright yellow, like amber. She stared in distaste at the jewellery cases. The saleslady tilted her head to one side, her jaw clenched like she's trying hard not to say some choice words.

"I'm sorry, but you are not permitted to be in this store without an adult." The saleslady swatted the girls hand away from the glass case, like she's afraid the girl would leave smear marks that would somehow affect the jewellery. "You might break something, child. And it is _very_ expensive! I doubt _you_ would be able to pay for it!" **(I AM NOT RACIST I SWEAR I DID NOT MEAN FOR THIS TO BE OFFENSIVE AND I AM SO SORRY IF YOU ARE OFFENDED)** Wow. Racist, much? The saleslady must of seen my expression, because then she straightened out her act. "Because you are so young, I mean."

"Mmm. _Yeah_." The girl scoffed. She turned to me. "Don't buy anything from here."

"What?" The saleslady cried. "This is the best jewellery franchise in the city! Sir, we _only_ sell the best!"

"Hey, lady, I'm an expect with jewels. And trust me, this is _not_ your best." The girl said, crossing her arms. The saleslady (I decided to call her Debra) narrowed her eyes.

"What do you know, little girl? I have been in this business for years-"

" _Deceiving_ people!" The girl snapped.

Debra's mouth dropped slightly, but she recovered pretty quickly. "Deceiving? Ha!"

"Lady, I'm seriously good with jewels and metal." She plucked the ring from Debra's hand and put it right in front of my face. "Look really closely. I mean, _really_ close!"

"No! Thief! This girl will steal it! Security!" Debra wailed. The others in the shop started to stare. The girl took notice and waved it in front of my face.

I squinted - and saw this tiny, tiny little scar running along the side of the diamond; the line of plastic moulded together.

"Its...plastic?" I asked. The girl nodded and raised her voice.

"This whole company has been deceiving you! Selling fake products!" She spoke old-fashioned, and it made people listen to her. "Plastic! Selling plastic at the price of diamonds!"

Suddenly, something shiny appeared at her feet. The girl widened her eyes, and as quick as lightening she snatched it up and stuffed it in her pocket. Then something shiny and red materialised on the counter. Debra reached for it, but the girl grabbed it, then just _ran_ from the store. More stones seemed to melt out the ground behind her, but she grabbed them and fled. Ignoring the strange encounter, the customers desperately searched for their receipts and shouted at Debra, who immediately turned the 'We are open!' sign to 'Sorry, closed!' and ducked behind the counter.

I left the store and chaos and looked up and down the street, searching for the girl.

The girl had run into Central Park and was talking rapidly to this big Asian guy.

"Gotta go, now, Frank! I might've, um, caused a commotion!"

"Come on, Hazel, what could you of possibly done-"

Debra had escaped the store of angry victims. She spied the girl from down the street. "You! You ruined my business!" She screamed. The girl, Hazel I think, grabbed the guy's hand.

"Nows a good time to run!" She said, and the pair speed off, leaving Debra screeching like a banshee in front of her shop.

I'm actually pretty glad I didn't buy anything from that store. It really was a huge fraud. Someone from the store that day had alerted the authorities.

Me? I'm quite happy. I found the perfect ring for Eliza (it was real, mind you) and I never saw the golden-eyed girl again. I'm not complaining. She freaked me out, big time.


	8. Dylan White

**Authors note: *holds head in shame and backs into corner* I'M SO SORRY!**

 **I've been watching old shows I used to watch when I was younger, like Total Drama and Teen Titans and etc _(_ Robin and Starfire forever!) and I've been neglecting EVERYTHING. Also my friend immersed me in the Terminator fandom. I promise I'll be more active, but rest assured I haven't died yet. **

Dylan Whites perspective.

"Are you chicken, Sean? Go on, ya big baby!" Matthew taunted, pushing Sean down the street. Me and my mates were playing I Dare You, near the Empire State Building. Matthew dared Sean to go up to this lady and pretend to be a dog. Since Sean was a clean-cut kid with straight parted hair and these geeky specs, it was funny watching it. Matthew and I cracked up laughing as Sean tapped a smart-looking lady on the shoulder and stuck out his tongue and wagged an imaginary tail. The lady whacked him with a rolled up newspaper. Sean wandered back to us dejectedly.

"Didn't have much of a sense of humor." Sean said. I patted him on the shoulder.

"It's fine. She didn't call the pound on you!" Sean glared at me.

"Not funny. Your turn, Dylan. I dare you..." Sean glanced around. "To go into the Empire State Building and ask for the six-hundredthed floor!"

"But there is no six-hundredth floor. The doorman will think I'm a loon!" I protested. Sean grinned evilly. See, a kid like Sean could look real menacing when he wanted to. Matthew prodded me in that direction. "Don't be a chicken. Dylan the chicken! Got a nice ring to it, eh?" Matthew taunted. I shoved him.

"Shut it, plank head. Alright, alright, but you can't come with me!"

They protested, but I stood strong and marched away from them into the building. The doorman sat behind his desk, and he looked...nervous? He kept fiddling his fingers and pulling at his cuffs like lightening was about to strike him down. Awkwardly, I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Six-hundredth floor, please." I said, barely audible. The doorman jerked liked I'd shocked him.

"S-six hundredth? Okay, okay! Insert this keycard when no one is in the elevator with you, alright? Can't have any monsters coming!"

"What-" The guy shoved the keycard in my hand and pushed me towards the elevator then ducked behind his desk again. I stared at him as the doors slid shut.

There was a six-hundredth floor? What? A keycard slot sat next to the buttons, saying _staff use only._

But being ADHD and all, I shoved the card in and waited while terrible music played overhead, the kind that my mum listens to. Trust me, you do not want to hear it.

I could sense that the elevator car was getting higher and higher. I thought about Matthew and Sean. They would not believe this!

After a few minutes, the car stopped and the doors slid open. And I gasped.

An entire mountain was perched above New York. Houses and temples and buildings were carved into the mountain and around it. The pathway leading from my elevator showed me the whole landscape of New York stretching below me. How could such a city just float above?

Stunned, I walked across the pathway carefully and the courtyard. Strange girls, some with green skin, some with blue skin, waved at me and giggled. A group of half goat men were playing pipes under a big maple.

I don't think I closed my mouth at all during all of this.

After walking some more, (and having one of those donkey-guys throw some weird coin at me and called to 'make an Iris-message home') I wandered to a massive empty room.

It could fit my whole apartment building. Constellations glowed up above. A weird cow-serpent swam in the corner in a big water tank. But most strangely were the thrones.

Twelve huge thrones were arranged in a U shape. They weren't ordinary golden Elizabeth thrones either. One was a fishermans chair, with a fishing holder. Another was wrapped in vines and grapes. Another looked like it had a built in vanity. Immediately i knew my stepsister Macy would like that one. A warm fire crackled in the middle. A young girl, wrapped in brown robes, poked it gently with a stick, looking quite annoyed at two people arguing near her.

They radiated power. Quickly, I ducked behind a pillar. One was a lady, dressed in battle armor, with black hair tumbling around her shoulders. She had a fearsome shield strapped to her arm. Her eyes were as grey as hard steel.

The other was a dude, not a lot older than me. He looked about nineteen and like he'd just left One Direction. He had that boy-band hair and the outdoorsy good looks and ripped jeans. He seemed very laid-back, even though that scary lady was screaming at him about taking her spare-set of armor. The boy-band dude shrugged.

"It was shiny! I thought it was a sweet new lyre!" He protested.

"How can you mistake my breastplate for a lyre, Apollo? Honestly, you thickheaded-"

"Chill, Athena! Seriously, you're like Artemis sometimes. Always going on a about how I take stuff, blah blah blah."

Cautiously, I peeped out from behind the pillar. The girl at the hearth caught my eye and gave me a small smile. The scary grey-eyed lady spotted me immediately and sized me up.

"Demigod? Who's your godly parent?" She asked.

"Demigod?" I repeated, somewhat densely. The lady rolled her eyes.

"One of yours, Apollo. He's got your looks and stupidity combined." She scoffed and stormed off. The boy-band dude caught my eye and winked.

"Hey, son."


	9. Ava Dyson

**Authors note: Not the most inspired, but meh.**

Ava Dyson Perspective.

I grabbed a bow and nocked an arrow, aiming for the bright red bulls-eye in the centre. I pulled the string taut and fired. SHINK.

The arrow landed near the centre, inches away. I sighed and reached for another arrow. I could never hit a bloody bulls-eye!

"Not bad." A girl said next to me. I turned. She looked my age, maybe a year younger, and a whole lot tougher. Her black hair was cut short and choppy and spiked up and some weird crown. She had the brightest blue eyes and a flash of freckles on her nose. She wore a leather jacket with badges and a band T-shirt underneath. Maybe she was new to the centre? "Thanks." I replied. "But I can do better."

The girl tsked and grabbed a bow and nocked an arrow so fast I could barely see it. She pulled back and let it loose.

SHINK.I couldn't believe it. She got a bulls-eye, first try! She grinned at me. " _Thats_ how you do it." She said, her eyes twinkling.

"Wow! What's your name?" I asked.

"Thalia."

"Ava." We shook. Thalia shot another arrow flawlessly. "How are you so good?" I asked, stunned. Thalia shot another arrow. She was running out of room on her target. "Oh, you know, joined the right group and all that."

"Can I join? If you're so good then I'd sign up right away!" I said excitedly. Thalia laughed. "There are certain...rules you need to follow. Very strict rules."

"I'm a great rule-follower! My boyfriend Flynn, on the other hand, breaks rules like this!" I snapped my fingers. Thalia chuckled. "Yep, you just broke a _major_ rule."

"What? Really? What did I say?" I said, confused. Thalia waved it off.

We continued practicing, mostly in silence, only saying anything to congratulate the other. Thalia gave me great tips and really helped me improve. When the sky began to darken and the stars came out, I was _this_ close to hitting the bulls-eye. Thalia, of course, was throwing arrows around casually, hitting each target every time. She could even shoot with her eyes closed!

"Hey, could I get your number? We could, you know, be friends." I said awkwardly. I so hoped she didn't think I was lame! Thalia bumped me with her shoulder.

"Don't have a phone, too dangerous. But I've got a card." Thalia dug around in her leather-jacket pocket and handed me a crumpled card.

 _Thalia Grace_

 _If needed, call._

"Call?" I wondered out loud, glancing at Thalia.

But she was already gone.

 **-X-**

"And she, was like, the best archer ever!" I exclaimed. Flynn nodded absentmindedly. "Mmmhmm. Yeah. Okay." Me and Flynn were hanging out at a cafe near our school. I was trying to tell Flynn about Thalia, but he was not focusing. AT ALL.

"Flynn! Are you even listening?"

"Yeah. Crazy as punk chick who could fire arrows and hit the target each time." Flynn seemed very concentrated on something over my shoulder.

"What are you looking at?" I craned my head to look and immediately wished I didn't. A few tables away were a group of pretty girls, all makeup and fancy hair and designer clothes and glamour. Probably the type that are able to afford three StarBucks Grandes a day. One of them was smiling and twirling her hair at Flynn - an obvious flirting move.

"Oh, too _distracted_ to listen to your _girlfriend_?" I scoffed, pushing my chair back, storming out of the cafe. I could hear Flynn scrambling to catch up.

"Ava, wait! It's-"

But I didn't wait around to hear anymore.

 **-X-**

 _Hey, Avs._

 _You won't talk to me because of what happened but its not what you think. That girl looked familiar and I thought she was my cousin. I swear it meant nothing. No hard feelings? Please talk to me._

 _Flynn xx._

I stared at the text message. So it didn't really mean anything? He really _was_ a faithful boyfriend? I felt my heart swell and felt like jumping up and down from joy. He did care! Should I do something for him because I was cold to him? I suppose I was pretty harsh.

The smile on my face unremoveable, I ran to the kitchen, yanked out a picnic basket and started preparing the most romantic picnic ever. You know, like you see in all those drama shows where the girlfriend makes a seriously romantic picnic and the boyfriend is so impressed that they stay together for a few more years until the boyfriend pops the big question!

After trying to assemble an impressive meal with whatever we had in our fridge (it was hard since Mum insisted on the whole family being vegan) I grabbed my cutest coat and almost sprinted to Central Park so I could claim us a spot next to the pond **(Does Central Park have a pond? I've never been to New York)** The sun was beginning to set so the whole city was bathed in beautiful reddish purple light. Perfect!

I ran to one of our favourite spots and spread out a picnic blanket, whipping out my phone to text him.

 _Flynn! Come to Central Park to our spot next to the pond, I've got-_

I stopped mid-text. On the other side of the pond, half-hidden behind a old willow, were a couple, kissing. And one of them had unmistakeable messy blonde hair. Slowly, my hands trembling, I crept around the edge of the pond to take a better look.

Behind the willow was the chick from the cafe, the one who waved and flirted with Flynn. And the boy _was_ Flynn.

I was in shock. I felt frozen, but soon it all melted away into blinding hot anger when they pulled apart and started talking.

"You know, you should break up with that pathetic girlfriend of yours." The girl said. Flynn chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I was already planning on it."

Before I could stop myself, I lunged forward and grabbed Flynn's ear and pulled him as hard as I could. Believe it or not, I'm actually pretty strong. Guess holding all of Mum's shopping bags really increased my upper arm strength. Go figure.

I pulled him toward the pond and pushed him in where it was most disgusting, with seaweed and rubbish and other gunk I didn't want to know about. "Guess what, you cheating, lying jerk? You don't have to 'plan' to break up with me, because you. Are. Officially. DUMPED!"

I stormed away. Somehow, I twisted the tables, so Flynn, the cheating jerk, was the one humiliated and I dumped _him._ Hasta la vista, Flynn! Have fun getting the duck poop out of your hair!

Still, I felt empty. Hollow. _Used._ I felt like my heart was shattering in pieces. Now it turns out Flynn didn't even like me at all! I collapsed on a park bench and sobbed into my sleeve. I needed a distraction, anything. Fishing around in my pockets, the only things I came up with were my cell phone and the card Thalia gave me. It was probably a trick, but it was worth a try.

"Thalia." I called, my voice croaky. "Thalia Grace."

As expected, nothing happened. I put my head back into my elbow and cried some more. I don't know how long I was there until I _finally_ heard a voice.

"Sorry, I was chasing a mon- hey, kiddo, what's wrong?" Thalia put her hand on my shoulder and sat next to me on the bench. I glanced up at her, my eyes misty, and yelped.

She was wearing a silver parka and had a hunting falcon perched on one shoulder, casually, like a budgie. "Um, Thalia, is your...bird...trained?"

Thalia just seemed to notice the bird and waved it away. "Don't mind him. Tell me, what's up?"

"My stupid ex turned out to be cheating on me." I said miserably. "I hate boys. I never want to see one again. If I do, I'd punch them for being male!" Thalia sighed sympathetically. "Yeah, boys can be such jerks."

"You've had bad experiences?"

"Gods, you don't know the half of it."

I laughed, but it was an empty laugh. "The thing is, he led me on. He made me believe that he actually _liked_ me! And I fell for it." I sighed. "If I could live forever, I'd make it a policy that I'd never even let a guy _look_ at me! I'd...I'd be like one of those Greek gods! Hestia, maybe. Or better yet, Artemis!"

"Yeah...speaking of Greek myths, I've...sorta got a proposition for you."

"Proposition?" I blinked. Thalia tapped the crown thingy on her head. "I'm...kinda the lieutenant of the Hunt."

"The Hunt...Artemis's group of girls who travel through forests? But it's myths!"

"Myths are a way to disguise the truth, mortal." A tween walked out of the trees. She had auburn hair and eyes the colour of the moon. Thalia knelt. "My lady Artemis."

"Artemis? As in, the goddess? But...but..." I stammered. Surely a young girl couldn't be a _goddess_? "Gods and goddesses aren't real!"

"Well, your looking at one right now." Thalia said. Artemis waved her arm as if to shush her. "Ava Dyson." She said. It felt like my stomach was contracting. "Uh, yes, madam?"

"Ava Dyson, your heart has been broken. But I hope that it will be whole again if you join the Hunt. A new family."

"Join?"

"Be immortal. Being powerful. Being able to shoot on target." Thalia clarified. "Oh, and boys are so off limits."

"No more heartbreak? Well, of course I'll join!" I said. "What do I say?"

"Repeat after me. _I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis..."_

 **Authors note: DONE! I was writing this while having a marathon of Teen Titan episodes lol. I really like this one, so I might make it into a real story, you know, if I actually finish my other one. And now I'm tired, so goodbye! Thank you for reading!**


	10. Jane Brady

**Authors note: You know, I should have an apology note that I should copy and paste onto every chapter I write.**

 **I AM SO SO SO SORRY! I started reading Harry Potter (great series by the way) and I was lost in fandoms. I am completely lazy because I am kinda being consumed by my life and I considered giving up, but I read someone's fanfic, and they said they were a true writer who continues writing even if they have their own problems and I thought "I am a total slack-off and a jerk if I just give up. PERSEVERE EMILY COME ON!"**

 **My birthday also passed and I'm officially old enough to be on this site!**

Jane Brady perspective.

I pushed my glasses up on my head further, smoothing down my creased skirt. A stack of books sat atop my desk, blocking my view of the library. I sighed and reached for one, scanning the bar code to return it. After scanning all of them and pushing them onto my trolley, I stood up and groaned. My joints are not what they used to be, dang nabbit. Slowly, creakily, I pushed the trolley out of the checkin area. I'm grateful that the library was empty. Children point at me. One once asked "Miss, why are you so slow?"

I told her that the speed fairies cursed me to be eternally slow.

Chuckling at the thought, I pushed my way into the non-fiction section. Most of the books from there were from teens issuing so much for their exams. As I was re-shelving the books, I heard speaking a isle away. Curious, I peered through the cracks in the shelf.

Two people were there. One was a small, sickly-thin girl with red hair and a feathery red dress and coffee-coffee colored eyes. There was a boy next to her.

He was extremely tall and beefy. His orange t-shirt seemed bursting to the seams and his jeans would of fit an entire kindergarten class. His shoes probably would of been XXXXXL.

He had shaggy brown, matted hair and large brown eyes. I couldn't actually see his face clearly, strangely enough. The girl was standing next to large stacks of books, flipping through each one very quickly.

"Ella has read that one...Ella's read that one...Ella has read all of these! Ella has not found any book that she has not read."

"It is okay Ella! Tyson will reach up for more books!" The guy said. He reached up and grabbed a book, turning around to face the girl in the tiny isle. By doing so, his large frame knocked the shelf over!

"AHHHH!" I screamed as the bookshelf fell towards me. I tried to run but arthritis stopped me. I could feel the bookshelf coming closer to crush me...

"Oh, no! Is old lady okay?" Suddenly the shelf was stopped. Fallen books rained down around me. A large, beefy hand held up the shelf. I gaped at the teenager. How could he hold up a heavy shelf with one hand?

"Is old lady okay?" He repeated.

 _"Old?"_ I spluttered indignantly. I crawled out from under the shelf and looked around, then turned to the two teenagers and scowled. The shelf was on its side. "You've ruined my library." The boy beamed.

"Tyson will fix it; Tyson fixes a lot of things!" He tried to lift the shelf back up but managed to make even more of a mess. "Stop!" I cried. The girl giggled.

"Stop is a word commonly used in books. Ella knows that. Ella knows a lot of things. Ella also knows that Tyson breaks things and fixes things."

"My brother Percy breaks a lot of things!" Tyson yelled happily. I winced and put a hand to my ear. "Quiet down, will you? We are in a _library._ "

"Oh, yes. Ella must find a book she has not read. Ella has read every book here and it is not helping." Ella said, her shoulders sagging. I raised my eyebrow. How can someone have read every book here?

"Oh, really? Come with me, to the back room. I might have some books for you to read."

I led them behind my counter. They were quite an odd pair, I have to say. I brought out my key and unlocked the door, directing the two kids onto seats. Well, Ella sat. Tyson squatted, trying not to bang his head on the roof.

This room was my heaven. Books lined the shelves, reaching towards the ceiling. There was hardly any floor space because it was so full. They were all new releases, so there had to be a book for her to read.

I handed them both a HobNob to eat. Ella inspected hers and asked "Is there cheese in this? Ella does not like cheese."

"Uh, no?"

She ate it without any complaint.

I scanned the shelves, finally resting on a relatively new book that only came out this week. It was part of quite a successful franchise. I handed it to the girl.

"Have you read _Percy Jackson_? I hear they caused quite a stir among young folk. This one is _Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes._ "

The girl considered it and said "No. Ella has not read it."

The effect on Tyson was quite funny. He jumped up, knocking over at least ten thousand books in the process, and squeezed me and the girl in a large hug. "Yay! Old lady has found a book for Ella!"

They were so strange and happy and cheerful I didn't even mind him calling me old.

 **Authors note: WHOS READ GREEK HEROES? I HAVE AND ITS AMAZING!**


	11. Kevin Gallagher

**Authors note: Sigh. This is so unoriginal.**

Kevin Gallagher perspective.

I like Rachel Dare. Okay, correction: I really _like_ Rachel Dare.

She goes to the school next to mine; Clarion Ladies Academy. My school, Milton's Men Collage, is on the other side of the road to it. Now, most of the girls in Clarion Ladies Academy act like princesses; classy and poised and stuck-up and snobby. Not Rachel.

It's like she's from another world. She has crazy red hair and paint-stained clothes. Her eyes are a beautiful shade of green. And her personality is the _best!_ She's wacky and funny. Generous and kind. And she seems like a hardcore fantasy fan as well, which is a bonus. She always goes on about prophecies and the Oracle and other strange stuff. She must be a massive fangirl for something.

I waited outside of Clarion Ladies Academy, waiting for Rachel to emerge. Suddenly, the bell went off, and hordes of brown-clad girls spilled out. Among them was a girl with flaming, wild red hair. Her green eyes sparkled playfully. She had a schoolbag swinging over her shoulder, and as usual, was splattered with paint. I jumped to my feet, frantically smoothing and ruffling my hair for the 'I'm too cool to brush my hair' look which girls always seem to dig. **(I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth just by writing that sentence.)**

I was hoping that Rachel would recognise me, since I always seemed to strike up a conversation with her when we would see each other. She caught sight of me and grinned.

"Hey! Ky, is it?"

Ouch.

"No, it's Kevin. Gallagher. Gallagher Kevin. No, I mean Ky Gallagher! Kevin..."

Why did I act like such an idiot around her? How to films make talking to girls seem so easy?! Screw you, High School Musical! **(please don't be offended if you like High School Musical! o-o)**

Thank god Rachel just laughed. She tossed her beautiful head back and roared with laughter, tears leaking out of her eyes. Rachel put a hand on my shoulder to steady herself. I felt a thousand tiny butterflies explode in my stomach as she wiped her tears away.

"Oh, Kevin, you kill me!" She said, shouldering her bag. I saw a golden chance.

"Uh, Rachel, do you want...to you know, maybe, uh, come with me to Central Park?" I stammered. Rachel looked surprised.

"Oh, okay. As friends, right?"

 _Friends_? Friends was the last thing I wanted! I wanted her to be my _girl_ friend! Does she have a secret boyfriend I don't know about?

"Yeah! Friends." I forced a smile on my face.

 **-X-**

"So you're name is Rachel Elizabeth Dare? You're initials spell R-E-D?"

"Yep! Blame my parents for naming me this way!" She laughed.

Rachel and I sat on some benches at Central Park, licking our ice-creams. (There was an ice-cream truck and I bought us some. She got the same flavour as me. We have the same taste. I knew we'd be soul mates!) Her hair is blowing in the wind and she's laughing. She seems kinda spacey, though, and won't let me do one of those smooth 'pretend to yawn so I can put my arm around her' things. The sun was setting and the sky was a brilliant colour, all red-pink-orange. Her eyes sparkled.

"Thanks for the ice cream, Kevin. You're actually pretty nice!"

I beamed. She was paying me compliments! It was only right if I complimented her back.

"Well, you're-"

"I wonder how much sugar is in this." Rachel interrupted, holding her ice-cream up. "My friend Annabeth would always try and estimate the amount of sodium or cholesterol in ice-cream before she ate it. Her boyfriend Percy would always eat it before she got the chance."

I laughed. "Funny. So, Rachel, do _you_ have a boyfriend? Have you ever kissed anyone?"

Rachel glanced at a couple over by the pond. The girl had just shoved the guy into the pond and stormed away, fuming and hurt. Rachel focused on me again and shook her head. "Nope. But I have kissed someone before.

"What? Who?"

"It was my friend Percy."

"But you said he was your other friends boyfriend."

"That was before they were dating! It's complicated, alright?" She snapped, burying her face in her hands. For one mad second I thought she was crying, but then she grinned at me. "You know, Kev, you're a really, really nice guy."

I felt my heart start pounding at a million miles. "So, do you, uh-"

"Oh, look! Look at the sky, isn't it beautiful?" Rachel pointed to the sky. I cleared my throat. She seemed to get side-tracked easily.

"Rachel-"

"Can you see the birds flying out of the trees? How pretty! I wish I could paint them-"

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?!" I half-shouted. Rachel stared at me in surprise, then shook her head. It felt like my heart was breaking in two.

"I'm sorry, Kev, I can't. I mean, you're a nice guy and all, but...I'm not allowed."

"Not allowed? Strict parents? I can talk to them. I'm pretty charming!" I puffed up my chest, hoping to make her laugh. There was _no way_ she could say no.

All of a sudden, it felt like the air temperature had dropped dramatically. The wind swirled around us. Rachel seemed to sway on the spot, her eyes pure emerald green. Her mouth hung open slightly, giving her a gormless look. Gasping, I jumped up, trembling with fear. Then, as quickly as it started, everything was back to normal. Rachel stood up, her eyes sad, and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

"I'm sorry. But I honestly can't." Rachel started to walk away, then called over her shoulder, "I'm pretty sure Kirsty Lindon likes you, though!"

With a heavy, torn heart I watched her leave. Rachel really had lots of mysteries and secrets. And I knew it wasn't my business to pry. So instead I thought about Kirsty Lindon, one of Rachel's friends. Sure, she wasn't Rachel, but no ones perfect.

 **Authors note: I feel like there should be some deep meaningful point at the end but I can't think of one. Again, this is not original but I said at the start that it wash;t all going to be original so don't yell, please. It doesn't feel right. Honestly I don't think it's one of my best, but I promise that the others will be better!**


	12. Lisa Bridge

**Authors note: You know how if you do something long enough you get better from practise and stuff? I swear my writing is getting more crap each chapter :( though it maybe because I'm taking ridiculously long breaks that are unfair to people who genuinely want to read fanfics.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING APART FROM MY OWN CHARACTERS.**

Lisa Bridge Perspective

I am dead.

Let me tell you something. Being dead _sucks._ Especially when you just _had_ to die on one of the best days of your life.

Yep. Luck was never on my side.

I pressed a hand to my temple. The memories felt too painful to relieve. Alison, on the other side of the road, waving and calling to me. I was squealing with joy and happiness because the big idiot Michael had _finally_ proposed after four years of being together. And I had gotten local schools to fundraise for my charity.

And then that stupid construction truck had to hit me and kill me.

Luck has _never_ been on my side.

My body is all misty and transparent. I'm in this weird lobby, with other spirits milling around me. Through some windows, I can see the bright lights of Las Vegas. Las Vegas? Since when was this the stairway to Heaven?

I glanced around my surroundings. Everything is grey. The walls and carpet is grey. The furniture is grey. Even the cactuses that grew in the corner were grey. A large sign hung on the walls; DOA Recording Studios. A smaller sign hung underneath it; NO SOLICITORS, NO LOITERING, NO LIVING. Everywhere I looked, there were dead spirits, transparent like me. On a raised podium there was a man who appeared to be in charge. He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-couloured skin and bleached-blonde hair that was shaved military style. He had tortoise-shell sunglasses covering his eyes and a Italian silk suit. A black rose was pinned to his lapel. He had a silver name tag that read 'Charon.'

"Charon?" I wondered aloud. The man raised his eyebrows.

"Yes? Another spirit? Dead? Good. Would you like to be ferried?"

"Um...pardon?"

He sighed. "Dear, you are dead. I'm assuming you want a ferry ride into the Underworld?"

"Underworld?" I said. "What are you talking about?"

He rolled his eyes. "The amount of times I've had to go through with these is unbelievable! Put it this way; you are dead. You need to ride into Underworld, land of the Dead. I will ferry you there. Simple enough?"

He used obnoxious hand gestures as if I was a simpleton. "I'm twenty-four, you know."

"Age has no place in death. See those spirits over there? They've been waiting for decades because their silly families didn't give them the proper funeral rites." He was pointing at a group of children with marks of the plague. I felt my heart drop.

"Can't you take them across for free?"

Charon laughed. "I'm not running a charity! Now, do you want me to charge it to your cable bill?"

At this point, I just accepted what was happening. It sounded strangely like an old myth I once read. Though I didn't want him to charge it to my cable bill because it would cost poor Alison more when she dealt with my past finical issues. "No need; I think I've got some change in here anyway." I fished up a coin and handed it to him. Charon glared at me for a second, then bit it.

"It's real. I got it straight from the bank." I said helpfully. Charon sighed and gestured for me to follow. As I did, a bunch of spirits started to moan and grab onto me. Charon pried them off and spat onto them. "Freeloaders." He said. Charon had transformed from an Italian jazz singer into this gloomy guy with a long black robe like the Grim Reaper and hopped onto a boat loaded with other spirits. Uncertain, I climbed on as well. A little boy who couldn't be older than six stared up at me, his eyes wide and unblinking. I gave him a nervous smile and turned away.

We had set sail into a seriously polluted river. Jeez, I thought the Hudson river was bad! The water was a sickly green with random objects in bobbing up and down on the surface. I could see a Bible, a camera and lots of other stuff.

"The River Styx." Charon said, pushing his paddle in the water. "All that stuff is dreams that never came true. Don't touch it, it'll-" The young boy I saw suddenly dived headfirst into the river. Charon tutted. "-completely annihilate your soul."

I backed away from the rail after that. Charon said the river was filled with forgotten dreams...sniffling, I wrenched my engagement ring off my finger and tossed it in.

Now I had come to the realisation - I'm dead. I'm freaking dead. Life still goes on...Michael will fall in love with another girl, Alison will get over her grief...and I'll never get to raise a family like I wanted.

"Get off." The boat washed up on a beach of black sand. Charon pushed people out. "Get out or the Furies will whip you out."

Fearful, I stumbled out and fell face first into the sand, the tips of my toes inches from the raging water. I scrambled up the beach and came face to face with a giant, three headed dog, snapping and snarling. I squeaked and backed off slowly.

"Okay, good Fido. Good. I'm not a dog bone..."

A few spirits looked at me strangely, but they left me alone. I gazed around Fido.

The dead had separated into lines disappearing past tollbooths. A sign on an archway hung above it: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. One line was moving quickly, like the McDonalds Meal Deal line. The others were crawling. The lines were labelled. I took a closer look at the quick one.

"Ez Death?" I said. I peered ahead of the line. It was disappearing into a giant field filled with people that were doing...nothing. Nothing at all, like they were waiting for a Starbucks that would never come. I took a look at the other lines. One was disappearing into what looked like a hellhole. The other was going to what looked like a courtroom. I watched, as three judges nodded at a soul. The soul walked into paradise. Another took his place. The judges took one look at him and shook their heads and the spirit disappeared, but I could hear it scream.

Was it worth risking an eternity in a field doing nothing to putting things to chance?

"Move, you stupid girl!" A low, gravelly voice hissed. Suddenly, I felt a pain explode over the back of my weird shimmery legs. I gasped and spun around to see Gran, the cranky old lady who always whacked me away from the cookie jar with a ruler. She was just as ugly as I remembered, only with a fiery whip and bat wings. She hissed at me and raised the whip again.

"Tisiphone, stop!" Someone called. Running towards me was a kid, no older than fifteen. And he was alive! Alive, with flesh and blood and human body heat! Demon Gran scowled, but she put her whip down.

"Master Nico, what are you doing down here?"

"I'm here to put a spirit in the right place." The boy said. "Lisa Bridge, right?"

I tried to say yes, but nothing came out. So I nodded instead. Nico nodded in return and turned to Demon Gran. "I want this spirit to be put in the Fields of Elysium. Right now."

Demon Gran was obviously shocked. She waved her whip around agitatedly. "Master Nico, you can't just place spirits anywhere!"

"I _said,_ I want her to be in Elysium immediately. Is that not clear?"

Demon Gran pursed her lips together and exhaled, though it sounded like a T-Rex dying. "Just because your father is the ruler of this realm, Master Nico, doesn't mean I will forget this insult." She howled and flew off. Nico rolled his eyes and turned to me. "Your sister says hi."

"Alison? How did you talk to her? Where is she? Why are you alive?"

Nico coughed awkwardly. "Can't answer. But you can go into Elysium now!" He pointed towards Paradise. "I promised your sister I'd help you. I'm honouring that promise."


	13. Rose Barlow

**Rose Barlow perspective.**

I'd known Silena Beauregard my entire life.

We met at a horse riding lesson when we were young. She invited me over to have chocolate at her dads shop. That pretty much sealed the friendship deal. As we got older and progressed to high school, she was at the top at the social ladder and I was at the bottom, but she never ditched me. In fact, she was my closest friend and I was hers. It helped a lot that we were neighbours.

Silena was 'that' girl. The girl every girl wanted to be and the girl every guy wanted to date. She was asked out at least a dozen times a day but she always turned them down kindly, instead of snapping at them to back off.

"Why don't you ever say yes?" As a socially awkward person, I hadn't been asked out once. I was amazed that she turned down boys like she'd turn down mouldy pizza. Silena grinned at me.

"I don't like any of them. They're very...basic. Besides-" She got this faraway look in her eyes. "My heart belongs to someone else."

Whoever her heart belonged too was very lucky. Silena was beautiful with silky dark hair and crystal blue eyes. She was kind and clever and everything I wasn't. I didn't resent her in any way, I suppose I was just...jealous.

"Don't worry, Rosie, you'll find your prince Charming." Silena would tell me.

"Maybe, but I'm _no_ Cinderella." I'd reply.

Another thing about Silena was that she was sooooo mysterious. Every summer she'd disappear into thin air. I'd ask her dad about it but he always clammed up. And when she'd come back she'd smell of horses and, strangely, plane fuel. She always denied secretly going to a top-notch riding school in Italy, no matter how many times I interrogated her.

It was a normal Wednesday when he showed up. We sat at our lunch table at school, me, Selina and our other friend Becky. Becky was awesome, but she did tend to switch boyfriends...like, every week. At least three guys had come up to Silena today to ask her out. Becky was always texting her boyfriend so I was kind of, you know, _there_ , not really doing anything with no significant other. I felt like Cupid had tossed me in the 'lonely forever' pile, along with nerds and old librarians with pixie cuts.

"I really want to dip-dye my hair red at the bottom." Becky said, pulling at a strand of coffee-coloured hair. "Thoughts, Silena?"

Silena tucked her chips **(or fries)** into one corner of her lunch tray, arranging all her food absentmindedly. "You should dip-dye it, but not red. _Definitely_ not red. Try blonde."

"Blonde..." Becky mused. The pair continued chatting and talking. I sighed and stared around the cafeteria. I could see lots of guys eyeing Selina, like usual, but another guy stood awkwardly at the entrance - he was new.

"Girls," I whispered. "Know who that guy is?"

He was tall, taller than my entire family. He was African-American, with massive muscles and even bigger hands. He looked pretty sullen and was intimidating the hell out of all the guys, even the jocks. Becky took one look and sniffed. I could tell immediately she was crossing him off her list. Silena took one look at him and it looked like she was going to faint with joy.

"Charlie!" She called happily. Everyone swivelled around in their seats. Silena Beauregard, their 'says no to every boy' girl, was running up to this imposing guy and throwing her arms around his neck like they _knew_ each other. I exchanged a gaping look at Becky, who was so shocked her phone turned off. Charlie lifted her up and spun her around then put her down. Silena murmured a few words to him and led him over to our table, grinning like mad. Charlie looked very out of place here. He looked like he belonged in a blacksmiths, or maybe a wrestling ring. Silena sat down and tugged him down as well.

"Rosie, Becky, this is Charles Beckendorf! My boyfriend!"

"Everyone calls me Beckendorf." Beckendorf said quietly. Everyone in the cafeteria slowly tore their eyes away and digested this new information eagerly. Silena beamed at him and started talking to us again like nothing happened.

Beckendorf was nice enough, albeit a little quiet. I found it strange...Silena had guys begging her to go out with them but she seemed really smitten with this one guy. Maybe he was 'the one?'

It was clear she wanted to spend time alone with him. I glanced at Becky and jerked my head to the door slightly. She followed my lead.

"Well, nice to meet you, Beckendorf. Silena's told us a lot about you. Silena, we'd better go. See you in class?" I said.

Silena was talking to Beckendorf and she didn't hear us. Becky rolled her eyes and we left the cafeteria.

"Beck, what do you want to-" Becky was gone from my side and she was already walking down the hallway with her arms around her current boyfriend.

"-do." I finished miserably. In truth, I felt really miserable. I felt seriously unwanted - Becky had boyfriends, Silena had a boyfriend, _everyone_ had a boyfriend or girlfriend...except for me.

 **-X-**

Summer rolled around, but I didn't expect to see Silena that much. In fact, I didn't see her at all, but I knew she'd come back at the end of summer. She was probably spending time with Beckendorf.

School started again, and I waited for Silena to come down the hallway looking flawless as usual, but nothing, and thats when I knew something was wrong. At the end of the day I walked to her fathers house and knocked on the door.

Nothing. I knocked again and again until finally, _finally,_ I heard shuffling from the other side of the door, and her father threw it open, looking completely devastated. His hair was dishevelled and it looked like he hadn't changed clothes in weeks. His eyes were red and puffy like he had been crying.

"Er, hi, Mr Beauregard. Is Silena home?"

At the mention of Silena, he broke down into fresh tears that made my heart break. I _hated_ seeing people cry. "Mr...Mr Beauregard?" I said, my voice wavering. Something was wrong. _Really_ wrong.

"Sil...Silena's...dead..." He choked.

" _What_? No, she...she can't be...how...?" Silena can't be dead. No. No no no no no. "Does...does Beckendorf know?"

"He's...dead...as well."

I couldn't contain it. I fell to my knees and sobbed. Mr Beauregard sobbed with me. Silena, my best friend ever, the girl who sat and talked with me about relationships and love and boys...was dead. And I felt like complete trash because I spent time being jealous of her instead of being _there_ for her, like she was to me. I wanted to apologise a million times over to her but I couldn't.

She wasn't coming back.


	14. August Bradley

August Bradley perspective.

"If you really feel that way, then maybe you should leave!"

"Fine! I WILL!"

I huddled underneath the dining room table. My twin April sat next to me, her arms wound around her doll. Mummy and Daddy were fighting again. They were very loud and it scared me and April. April leaned her head on my shoulder. "Auggie, Mummy and Daddy are fighting."

"I know."

"They are loud."

"I know."

"They scare me."

"I know."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

She hugged me and cried. Mummy and Daddy just got louder and louder and it hurt me and April's ears. "Come on." I said to April. "Lets go."

"Where?"

"Where it's quieter." We crawled out from under the table, nibbled on a few cookies Mummy left out for Santa (me and April already agreed that Santa wouldn't come because of the noise) and headed into the fireplace room.

It looked too festive and cheerful for a house that was arguing. The tree was tall and furry and colourful and strung with baubles and magic reindeers and angels and strings of popcorn (though April ate most of the popcorn.) Under the tree there were no presents. There were no presents in our stockings either. April nuzzled her head on her doll.

"Auggie...I don't want Santa to bring presents." I stared at her. April loved presents, though she loved the shiny wrapping more.

"What do you want, April?"

"I want Mummy and Daddy to stop fighting." April tore her Christmas wish list off the tree and threw it in the fireplace. It burned and smoked and the words flew into the air like magic. She turned to me. "Besides, Santa wouldn't come anyway because of the noise."

Mummy and Daddy were so loud we couldn't even hear ourselves talk. Suddenly, April burst into tears and collapsed into our special armchair. "I want...our...family back!" She sobbed.

"Dear, don't worry." I jumped. Standing next to April was a little girl, who looked our age, with brown hair and a black cloak. April stared at her with wet eyes, shocked.

"Are you Mrs Claus?" She asked stupidly. I snorted. "Don't be such a thickhead! Mrs Clause is fat, like Santa." I knelt down besides the little girl. "Are you Santa's daughter?"

The girl blinked. Her eyes were scary, like the fireplace flames. "No. My father isn't quite so jolly. My name is Hestia."

"I've never heard of you before. Are you one of Santa's reindeers?" April wondered. Hestia smiled.

"You mortal children are very delightful to be around. My family isn't quite so friendly." She said, glancing around our fireplace room. "Nor quite so...festive." She glanced at an empty coffee table and waved her hand. Lots of Christmas cookies, on patterned plates appeared! All bright with frosting and glasses of warm milk!

"Wow!" I exclaimed. April clapped her hands. "I was thirsty. Thank you, nice lady!" She grasped the girl's hand and grinned. Then she reached for a glass of milk. Hestia sat down beside us and as we ate, she talked.

"My children, you are too young to understand, but I will be gone soon." April took her hand again. "Don't go! You are nice and you give us cookies. Stay and play with us!"

Hestia brushed April off and looked at me. "August, you are older. You know why your parents are fighting?"

"They are mad at each other."

"Very mad," Hestia agreed. "That is not okay. Family needs to stick together and stay strong. I must respect families who don't get mad. I don't want young people like you to have to deal with this."

"Me and April don't need them. We can live on our own. What are you going to do?" I asked. Hestia looked very young like us, though she was scary and magical. Hestia glanced towards the fireplace, and to my shock, reached in and grabbed a burning ember!

"No, nice lady, you will burn yourself!" April cried. Hestia didn't listen and held the ember in her bare hand. The flame was dying out in the air. "See, August, this flame was part of a family. Now, out in the open, away from the family, it is dying. Do you see what I mean?"

"Yes. You are saying to not play with fire."

Hestia sighed, then covered her ears as Mummy screamed a bad word. "Your parents are very upset with each other." She observed. April nodded.

"Its always like this. But its Christmas. And...and I wanted...a nice, family Christmas!" She said, sniffling, biting into another cookie. Surprisingly, Hestia hugged April tightly, then she turned to me.

"Keep your sister close, August. She is a very special child with a good heart. You, also, have a good heart. You are good children. Take care of your sister." Her eyes were fierce. Then, just like that, she was gone. Vanished like the wind or carrots for Santa's reindeer.

All of a sudden, the fighting stopped. The noise stopped. I hardly dared to breathe. April stopped crying, cookie crumbs all over the front of her pyjama top. Then Mummy and Daddy came in, smiling but stern.

"What are you both doing up so late? Santa won't come if you try and catch him!" She said, waggling her finger. Daddy nodded and picked April up, swinging her around playfully. "No presents...only tickles for naughty children who stay up!" He chuckled and tickled April, who screamed with laughter. Mum rolled her eyes and grabbed my feet, tickling me and playing 'This Little Piggy' with my toes. We were having so much fun we didn't even notice when we knocked the tree over. We were acting like a family again.

No; we _were_ a family again.

I glanced in the fireplace and I swear I saw a girls face and a smile.


	15. Laura Jackson

**Authors note: ONE HUNDRED (and twenty) REVIEWS! WOOHOO! (I'M HAVING A MINI DISCO IN MY BEDROOM!)**

 **I'm soooo thankful and guilty because I should seriously update more often than once every decade.**

 **And I know that I'm really, really mean for posting this chapter when I should be cheerful and happy. But I'm sorry, I had to write this!**

 **P.S: I think I kinda switch from past tense to present tense, because I think I was trying to write in present tense, but I'm a past tense writer, if that makes any sense. PRESENT TENSE MAKES ME FEEL SO AWKWARD.**

Laura Jackson perspective.

"The clouds are very big and stormy. Miss, will we be alright?"

"Of course." I reassure the little girl next to me. Oh, she's so young to be riding in a plane by herself! She reminds me of Sally.

Jim is sitting next to me, reading a magazine about animals. He doesn't seem at all bothered by the storm outside. No one else seems to be, either. The little girl, who told me her name was Aileen, is drawing with crayons on her big note pad and she tugs on my sleeve. "Look!"

It's a big, angry looking man waving his scribbly fist around. There are clouds underneath him and a...metal duck? "Oh, thats wonderful Aileen. What is it?"

"It's Zeus!" She says happily, like it explains everything. "Daddy's teaching me about Greek gods. See, my daddy is from Athas, in Greece!"

"Do you mean _Athens_?"

"Yeah!" Aileen nods. "Zeus is the big god who is the boss of all the other gods. He is in charge of the sky, so all the storms and stuff are from him!"

"Really? I didn't know that." I smile at her and she smiles back, all freckles and missing front teeth. I nudge Jim. "Doesn't she remind us of Sally, Jim?" He barely glances up from his magazine but he grunted, "Yeah."

Outside, the storm raged on angrily. Shivering, I adjusted my seatbelt. I could tell immediately that this wasn't a normal storm. Do normal storms flicker with weird lightening? Aileen continues to draw on her notebook happily, sketching a angry looking lady with a snake plate, and a man with a big pointy stick. She labelled them all, but it was so messy I couldn't read it.

Jim turned over a page in his magazine, still oblivious to the storm. I glanced around. Everyone was still acting like it was fine. A stewardess passed around glasses of Coke. I accepted one, and leaned over to look at what Aileen was drawing. Now it was four people, a lady with stick hair, a man with plates on his face, a tiny shrivelled raisin, and a little girl who wore a pink bed sheet.

"It's my family!" Aileen declared proudly. "This is my mummy and daddy and my little brother! I'm going to meet them again!"

"Why aren't they with you now?" I ask, then I want to take it back immediately. Aileen's bottom lip begins to quiver and she swallowed.

"I was supposed to go with them, but then I got an ear infection so I stay behind." She explained, stabbing her crayon to the page.

"You know, I have a little girl like you back at home." I say, trying to make her feel better. Aileen perks up at this. "Yeah? Is she pretty?"

"Very pretty. She's very smart and she likes to draw, like you." I say, pointing to her family. "That's like my family. Jim, me, and Sally."

Aileen beamed at me as another strike of lightening rocked the plane. It swerved dangerously. My Coke lapped over the side of the glass and splashed onto Aileen's drawing pad. "Oh, I'm sorry!" I cried. Aileen shrugged. "It's okay."

Suddenly, the lights flickered. Screams echoed back and forth. The stewardesses looked panicked, but told everyone to calm down. My heart was beating a thousand miles an hour as the plane took a nose dive. Gripping Jim's and Aileen's arms, I prayed to every god I knew.

 _"Due to the unexplainable weather, we will make an emergency landing in Ontario. Rest assured, everything will be fine."_

It didn't sound like everything would be fine.

I could feel tears streaming down my face as the plane lurched back and forth crazily. My legs and arms were shaking like made and it felt like my stomach had already dropped to the ocean. I was paralysed, terrified, scared for my life. As the plane took another crazy turn, I bent over in a stage of hysteria and kissed Aileen's cheek, as I would if she was Sally. Then I straightened up and kissed Jim on the lips. "I love you." I murmured.

The plane began to drop down. It felt like it was falling completely vertical. Oxygen masks dangled down from the ceiling, flailing around like mad. I might've left my heart up there because I couldn't breathe. Around me everyone was screaming. I clutched Aileen and Jim and whispered one final message as everything turned black.

 _"I'm sorry, Sally."_

 **...Even for my** **standard this is bleak.**

 **Sorry if I've traumatised you. Just go and look up some Percabeth fan art to make you feel better. And I will probably lie in my bed and look completely shell-shocked at something I have written.**

 **Yay.**

 **Okay, I swear there will be better ones, I promise.**


	16. Jaden Rowland

**Authors note:**

 **I'm backkkkkk! (also I joined more fandoms so I'm screwed)**

 **I also changed my name from WatermelonCupcakez to Otterly Utterly because why the hell not (WatermelonCupcakez was a bit of a mouthful)**

 **Soooooo...its been like a year? I turned 14, looked back on some of the things I wrote when I was 12, and almost flushed myself down the toilet.** **I deleted** ** _Screw Monsters, High School is the Real Challenge,_** **because although I wrote out a plot for it, what I'd already written was awful, clunky, and didn't fit into what I had in mind. I might rewrite it in the future because the plot has potential. I actually had a lot of stuff written down, including a rather long one shot that was more like a mini story, but due to the 90 day rule, they all got deleted :(. Fresh start, though! I really want to start posting good, original stories to this site, although my dream of being a writer has kinda drifted away. I'm still crazy about fandoms though!**

 **Jaden Rowland perspective.**

The TV was old, cracked, and the volume was cranked down until it was almost silent, but everyone in the pub could see who was winning. The old geezer opposite me had his fists clenched, his money wadded up into a little ball. He was staring at the television with such intense focus I expected his glasses to crack under the pressure.

My back was turned to the screen, and I sipped my beer calmly. I didn't need to look. I knew who was going to win.

"Aaaaaaaaand we have a winner!" The cheery MC announced. A smirk crossed over my face. I knew which wrist he was holding up. I knew who was standing in the middle of the ring, triumphant.

"Riot, the undefeatable giant!" The entire pub erupted in groans and gasps. I spun around in my chair as the MC signalled for the cameras to zoom in closer on the Gorilla, who lay on the ground, curled up into a little ball. His beefy arms were hugging his stomach. Blood trickled out of his nose, and his left eye was slowly turning an unflattering purple. "Gorilla, what happened?!" The MC flocked around him. "The raining champ?! So many people were betting on this match! It was like you weren't even _trying_!"

The Gorilla only groaned in response. The MC lifted his disappointed eyes back up to the camera. "There we have it, folks. The Gorilla has been taken down, in a rather unexciting match I must say, by Riot! Arizona's new wrestling champ!"

I turned back to the table. The old man was glaring daggers at me, breathing heavily. His wizened, wrinkly hands were shaking as he slammed the money down in front of me. "You foul cheat." He hissed, spitting onto the spot next to the cash. He stormed out of the bar, his hunched frame shuddering. I bundled the money into my bag, hoisting it up onto my shoulder. I needed to give Riot his fair share, plus purchase more of his special drink. There were going to be more matches, and he needed to be ready.

"This Riot guy is a real handful, isn't he?" A tall guy commented, sipping a ginger beer. I nodded proudly. "Best wrestler there is. I've been betting on him for years."

"But not really a force to be reckoned with." He said, downing the last of his drink and standing up. "My girlfriend's gonna have an _easy_ time beating him."

What? Did I hear him properly?

"Beat? Buddy, no one can take down my fighting machine." I told him crossly. "Who d'ya think you are? The Rock's manager?"

He laughed. "Chris Rodriguez." He held out a hand, which I ignored. Chris raised an apprehensive eyebrow, and grinned. "Trust me when I say this," He leaned in closer, a mischievous expression on his face. "Clarisse takes down small fry like the Riot in her sleep."

I slammed out of the pub. The last thing I needed to psych me out was a cocky teenager.

The street was empty, silent, almost deserted, except for a teenage couple kissing underneath the dim lamplight. Entering a 24 hour dairy, I grabbed a bottle of Sprite and dumped it on the counter. Exiting the store, I headed towards the back door of the arena, but not before ripping off the logo and replacing it with one of my own, and taking a small packet and emptying it into the drink, shaking it to mix it in properly.

Riot's next match- against Clarisse. As I entered the locker rooms, I caught Riot's eye. He sat hunched on a bench, a towel wrapped around his giant neck. His bristly head was shining with sweat, and a half-empty bottle of water was next to him. He raised his beady little eyes to mine, and motioned over to where two girls sat on the other side of the room. He nodded.

I do my research. Clarisse La Rue, also known as the Drakon Slayer, was a student at the University of Arizona, and even though she was young, she _had_ to be good to make it to the best wrestling arena in the state. My guess? She made it big by doing small matches, discovered by a manager, and fought her way to the top. Odd that I'd never even heard her name pop up in conversation, though.

One of the two girls was small, petite, and wore a navy blue dress with a white collar. Her shiny, sleek dark hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. She had her hands placed on the other girl's shoulders firmly, staring her right in the eyes.

The other girl was _tall_. I could tell that even from her sitting down. She had lean, broad shoulders and thin, stringy hair, glued together in clumps by sweat. Her hands, like pitchers gloves, were wrapped around the other girl's wrists.

I grinned to myself. This was going to be easy. Gripping the sports drink, I approached them both. Years of doing this made me an expert.

"Clarisse? Clarisse, 'Drakon Slayer' La Rue?" I said tentatively, testing the waters. The larger girl's head snapped up suddenly, causing the other girl's hands to fall off her shoulders. Her eyes were small, dark and beady, uncannily like pigs eyes. "Who's asking?" She snapped.

Jesus, this person has a temper.

"Oh! Um, I'm Jack! I'm a massive fan!" I squealed. The smaller girl's eyes narrowed, although Clarisse straightened up proudly, puffing her chest, an arrogant look in her eyes. "A fan, eh? I'm not surprised. Clarisse, the Drakon Slayer! These wrestling chumps are _nothing_." She continued on, bragging about her many victories against opponents I'd never even heard of.

God, she needed to be taken down a few pegs. I snuck a sideways glance at Riot, who was slumped over. There was _no way_ he could win a match like that. The big clock, ticking steadily, indicated a few minutes until the match started.

"Um!" I interrupted her mid-sentance. "I really want to get a good seat before the match starts, but before I go I made you a special, homemade drink of mine. You can have it for _free_! It's really refreshing and I would love for my favourite wrestler to try it out!" I held out my modified bottle. Clarisse's thick eyebrows knitted together. "Lemme see." She snatched it out of my hands. The other girl craned her neck to look over Clarisse's muscular shoulder.

Unlike the previous wrestlers I'd swindled into drinking it, who would chug it down without taking a second look at the logo, Clarisse studied it carefully, a disgusted expression working it's way onto her face. " _Apollo's Godly Nectar_?" She snarled. "What are you, one of his kids? Tryna get me to say his cabin is the best? Not a freaking chance in Tartarus." She tossed it back at me defiantly. "Selene, let's go. I wanna get warmed up before I pulverise that mutt over there." She jerked a thumb towards Riot.

Selene glared at me, and I shivered. Those pretty blue eyes chilled my bones. Clarisse stomped towards the door that led to the arena, Selene right beside her.

She didn't drink the drink.

 _She didn't drink it._

I had so much money placed on this bet! If we lose, we're both finished, Riot and I. Oh, god. _Oh god._

Desperately, I whirled around, searching for something I could use to get the powder into her system.

I breathed a giant sigh of relief. The corner of her bag was poking out from under the bench. After her little tantrum, she'd left all her belongings behind, convinced they'd be safe in the locker room. Lugging it out, I rummaged through it frantically, before my clammy hands closed around her drink bottle. She wouldn't get it into her body as the match started, but if she managed to drink it during a refresher, Riot could still win this thing. As quick as I could, I tore open another packet and tipped it into the water. Right, I just needed to mix it-

"The _hell_ do you think your doing?!"

Dainty fingers grabbed my wrist and jerked me up with surprising strength. Selene's ice cold, piercing blue eyes glared at me, then flickered down to Clarisse's bottle and the empty packet. "Are you _drugging_ Clarisse?" She gasped.

"No! No no no! She left her drink bottle behind, and I- I found it! Surely she would need water to stay hydrated during the match, right?" I babbled, panicking. Selene's eyes narrowed further. She didn't believe any of it. Her eyes darted up to a screen on the wall, and promptly dropped my wrist as if it burned her. "Doesn't matter." She shrugged. "She's already beating the _crap_ out of Riot."

" _What?!_ " I whirled around. Clarisse was, as quoted, _pulverising_ him. The MC was having a field day, running around and getting shots from all angles in a frenzy. I whipped around to Selene again, but she had disappeared.

 **-X-**

The match was over. Riot lost by a landslide. Clarisse was victorious. And the folks at the pubs who bet on Clarisse, the police, and the Drakon Slayer herself were after me. But I'm not stupid. I was long gone before then. Riot's on his own.

I huddled at a booth in a roadside cafe, watching the screen intently. Clarisse was giving an impromptu interview with a news lady, boasting about her 'pulverisation' of Riot. Her boyfriend stood at her side, and on her other, Selene.

"-and with that final move, I had him pinned and I knew, sure as Ares is the best god, he was done." She bragged triumphantly. "Of course, all victories aren't without struggle. Whoever you are, Jack, I'm angry." She glared directly into the camera. "And I don't give up grudges easily."

"Drakon Slayer! What are you going to do now?!" The news lady asked, shoving the microphone right underneath her scarred, ugly chin. "Go after the guy who attempted to sabotage your match?"

"Nah," Chris leaned over and spoke into the mic. "Right now, we're all gonna go out and celebrate Clarisse's win."

"Celebrate?" Selene echoed, puzzled. "You don't have any money."

Chris grinned; that same mischievous grin he gave me back at the pub. He held up a bundle of rolled up notes, cinched together with a blue rubber band...the same rubber band holding the money I'd snitched off the old man.

 **That's a wrap, people!**

 **Gods, it's been ages since I've written fan fiction. I haven't read the books in a while, so sorry if its inaccurate. It's longer than my others though and I hope theres improvement.**

 **Actually I'm probably going to look back on this in a few months and want to bash my head repeatedly into a brightly painted mural wall.**

 **But for now, I'm satisfied with what I've written! And I'm hoping I'll get my act together and write more quickly and easily! But for now...**

 **Thank you all for reading, you lovely souls!**


	17. Lindsey Kardula

**Yo yo yo fam**

 **I've gotten to the point where I don't even know whether I use fam ironically anymore help**

 **-X-**

 **Lindsey Kardula perspective**

To be honest?

I was quite glad the dog was gone.

Lucia was never fond of the little animal. She was allergic to the fur. Jack didn't care. He never even came out of his room long enough to notice the dog. Benjamin was too young to appreciate the dogs presence, unless it was to pull his tail when he was sleeping.

No, it was only Adrian who was upset. After I discovered the kennel empty and the main gate wide open, I wanted to keep it a secret. His barking, his early morning walks, his _shedding_ , was just extra work. I was a nanny, not a dog-sitter. Unfortunately, the cook noticed how I stopped requesting steak with the children's meals, and quickly put two and two together. Then, it spread to the butler, who told the gardner, who whispered it to a maid, who shrieked it to Adrian himself.

Adrian threw a fit. I'd never realised quite how attached to the dog he was until he was screaming and wailing and stomping his foot when his parents had guests over. God, I had to bundle him into Benjamin's play room and barricade the door to stop him from barrelling downstairs and tugging on his father's coat tails. I tried all sorts of bribes to get him to quiet down; pastries, toys, a new trampoline set. Hell, even a new dog. Stubborn, difficult little Adrian wasn't having _any of it._

"I want _Gladiola_!" He wept, burying his head into Benjamin's pile of stuffed bears. "Not another pet!"

Which was great for me, because I didn't think I could handle another flush-fish funeral.

"Shhh!" I hissed, glancing from him to the door worriedly. "Alright, alright."

Adrian paused, and lifted his head from the bears. His face was stained with tears and snot, and he looked at me hopefully. I swallowed.

"I don't know where Gladiola went. But- _but!_ " His head had started to sink back into the bears. "We can put up flyers. See if anyone's seen him. He's bound to be around here somewhere."

I'd kept repeating those words to Adrian, and to all the other staff who watched me print out posters with doubtful eyes, even to his parents, despite how quickly they'd offered to get another dog. I quickly put an end to _that_ suggestion. Jack had always been pining for a big dog, and tiny Gladiola was enough to deal with.

 **-X-**

"Thats not a pink poodle."

"Of course it is!"

I looked down at the shaking beagle, then back up at the teenager. His eyes were glinting with mischief, and he was eyeing the cash in my hand greedily. With a sigh, I forced the gate closed and double-locked it, staying rooted to my spot until I heard his leaving footsteps.

"Was that Gladiola?" Adrian tugged on my sleeve excitedly. And for the third time that day, I had to turn my lips up into a sympathetic smile, pat him on the shoulder, and shake my head.

Who knew two hundred dollars would attract so many crooks?

I left the gate, heading for the back garden. It was always so calming under the old oaks-

For the fourth time that day, the loud bell sounded throughout the whole house. The gardener peered over the fence from his ladder and called down to me. "Its another one of your finders!"

I groaned.

The gate inched open slightly, and three curious faces peered through. "Hello?" A girls voice called out. "I uh, I think we found your dog."

"Are you sure?" I said, raising an eyebrow. They looked so _young,_ thirteen at the oldest, which surprised me. Upon further inspection, it didn't look like they had an adult with them, and they carried backpacks and sported dirty, dishevelled clothing.

One of the boys snorted, and the girl kicked him with her foot. "Yes. I'm quite sure." She said confidently, flicking a blonde curl out of her face and staring at me with intense grey eyes. Although she had to stare _up_ to see me, it felt like she was staring me _down._

Curious, I edged open the gate further.

One of the boys had leaves stuck in his curly hair, and the cap balanced on his head was smeared with mud. In his arms, he cradled a small, shivering dog, hidden underneath a scrap of orange fabric that looked like it was torn away from the other boy's shirt. Carefully, I reached out and nudged the scrap away, and Gladiola peered up at me with his big, woeful brown eyes, and I froze.

There was a familiar _pap pap pap_ of Adrien's soft footsteps behind me, and he elbowed me aside. " _Gladiola_!" He gasped. "Oh, your back!" He held out his hands, staring at the boy holding him with wide eyes and a hopeful smile.

He hesitated. The girl nudged him. "Go on, Grover." She hissed. Grover glanced at Adrien, me, and at the big, towering mansion that stood behind us, blocking out the late afternoon sun. With an almost inaudible sigh, he leaned down and whispered something to Gladiola, tapping him on the head and scratching him behind the ears. Then he held him out to Adrien with a small smile.

Adrien giggled, and took Gladiola carefully, pressing him to his chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He cried, grinning. The other boy laughed, and even the no-nonsense girl cracked a small smile, but she didn't keep it that way for very long.

"I do believe there was a reward?" She said delicately, deliberately stretching out her sentence. All four of the children looked up at me, and even Gladiola stuck his little, twitchy nose in the air.

"Oh, right." I handed over the cash, and the girl eyed me suspiciously, as if I tricked her. Counting it out carefully and seeing no sort of foolery, she stuck it in her backpack and nodded at me. "Well, thank you."

"No, no, thank you!" Adrien said again, setting Gladiola down gently and lunging forward, engulfing Grover in a hug. "He really likes you, ya know? He told me."

Grovers eyes lifted up in surprise. "Oh, er...yeah. Hey, kid, try to be a little more gentle sometimes with him, okay? He says that he doesn't appreciate it when someone named Benjamin pulls his tail. And to feed him the good food, not that steak he always gets."

"Okay!" Adrien nodded along eagerly. "I will! Anything else I need to know?"

"Er..." The girl tugged on Grovers arm. "Hurry up, will ya? Percy and I'll wait at the dairy down there. We're hungry." She grabbed Percy's sleeve and yanked him after her, leaving a stuttering Grover who was still struggling to find an answer.

"Just...love him, okay? If you love him a fraction of what he loves you, then you'll be loving him with all your being." The words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush, although he was looking down at Adrien and Gladiola (who was sniffing at a bush) fondly. "So...thank you?"

"GROVER!"

"Gotta go, bye!"

"Bye!" Adrien called after him as he turned tail and fled down the street. Making sure Gladiola was safely inside, I pushed the gate shut. Adrien was still rooted to his spot, gazing after the trio. "Lindsey?"

"Mmm?"

"Did you notice Grover had a beard for someone in middle school?"

Oh, god. My salary was _definitely_ not high enough to have this conversation.

* * *

 **Authors note: WHOOP**

 **I totally did not name Adrien after my favourite dork from Miraculous Ladybug hahahaha**


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